Science & Tech

The extraordinary sight of a 30-foot long dead humpback whale that washed up on a beach area in Anchorage has drawn dozens of onlookers, despite a NOAA warning to stay away.

Thousands of miles to the south of us, engineers at NASA are hard at work on the NeMO Mission, the next orbiter mission to Mars. They got a little help this summer from an engineering intern from Bethel, and something called the Muktuk Plot.

It’s like a dance, or an orchestra: Each piece of the grid watches the rest and responds second by second, millisecond by millisecond.

The Alaska Marine Highway System ferry Columbia will be part of an international science experiment starting this fall when it resumes its weekly run between Bellingham, Wash., and Southeast Alaska.

It’s a case of mistaken identity — the kind of mistake you can only clear up with a 400-power compound microscope. But forest pathologists are not letting down their guard: Spruce bud blight is still out there.

This year’s Juneau Icefield Research Program included a focus on art and science communication, in addition to the usual studies of the ice, ecology, and weather and climate of the icefield.